Speedster buddies
by Aggie Deneys
Summary: While spending time with Wally West/Flash, Dick Grayson/Batman realizes that all the Robins except Jason were friends with a speedster.


Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine.

Dick Grayson, aka the Batman, fka Robin and Nightwing, relaxed in a patio chair next to the pool. The sun's warmth felt good on his face. Today was one of the few times he was enjoying the amenities of Wayne Manor. It was something he knew he needed to do more often, however, there never seemed to be enough time. Actually, there never seemed to be enough time to just kick back and relax period. There always seemed to be some crisis occurring.

"Your water, Master Richard."

Dick smiled and took the bottle of water, watching as his friend Wally West, aka the Flash, fka Kid Flash, plopped into a chair beside him. The fact Wally could mimic Alfred's mannerisms and tone of voice only showed how much time the speedster had spent at the Manor over the years.

When it came to finding time to relax, his friend didn't seem to find it as challenging. Being one of the fastest men alive helped, but Dick knew it was more than that. Maybe it was growing up in the Midwest. Maybe it was being mentored by Barry Allen instead of Bruce Wayne. Maybe it was because the speedster clan, unlike the Bat clan, had an elder statesman – Jay Garrick – that it could look to as a role model. Maybe it was simply personality quirks.

No matter the reason Wally and the rest of the speedster clan had the Bat clan at a definite disadvantage when it came to prioritizing things in life and finding time to relax and enjoy the little things. Today was the perfect example. Dick knew he wouldn't be sitting poolside if Wally hadn't called to say he and Irey were coming to visit. If Wally hadn't been there, Dick knew he would have busied himself reviewing the latest Wayne Enterprises financial reports or updating files on the Bat computer or looking for ways to improve the handling performance of the Batmobile or…well, the list was truly endless.

Dick mentally shrugged and returned his attention to the present. On the other side of the pool, Irey West, aka Impulse, and Damian Wayne, aka Robin, were playing Monopoly. How Irey had ever convinced his brother to play the game was a mystery. While Damian enjoyed games, he enjoyed psychological games of manipulation or physical games where he could dominant an opponent. As far as Dick knew, Damian had never played a game just for fun. Even from across the pool, Dick could make out the scowl on Damian's face, a sure sign that Irey was winning. Dick predicted it would be only a matter of minutes before the board and game pieces went flying.

Watching his younger brother and Irey interact, he realized the strange ties the Bat family and speedster family had. Starting with him and Wally, every Robin except Jason had befriended a speedster. Or was it that the speedsters tended to befriend the Robins? Because in Damian's case "befriend" was definitely the wrong word choice. While Dick knew that Damian enjoyed spending time with Irey, he also knew Damian would never admit it. And who would want to befriend the arrogant, little know-it-all?

The flukes of time had resulted in Jason not even having a potential speedster to befriend or vice versa. Bart Allen, aka Kid Flash, fka Impulse, hadn't appeared until after Jason had died. Still it raised an interesting question – if Jason had had a speedster, would things have turned out differently?

He glanced at Wally. The red-haired man was slouched in the chair, eyes closed, head back. "Do you think if Jason had had a speedster buddy things might have turned out differently?"

A green eye opened and looked at him skeptically. "A 'speedster buddy'?"

Dick shrugged, fighting the urge to smile. "Playmate? Pal? Chum?" He gave in and grinned. "Sidekick?"

"Ha. If it's sidekick, you would've been mine, Short Pants."

"Yeah, right." He paused. "So, do you think it might have made a difference?"

"What caused you to go all introspective on me?"

"Now, there's a big word for you."

"Word of the day calendar," quipped Wally.

"Ah." Dick looked back at Irey and Damian. So far, the game was still in progress, but Dick could tell Damian's tension level had increased another notch. Mentally, he catalogued Damian's tension, stance and expression. Satisfied that Damian didn't seem ready to erupt quite yet, he returned his attention to the subject at hand. "Think about it. I got you, Tim has Bart, and Irey seems to have inherited Damian, God bless her soul."

Wally sat up straighter. He followed his friend's gaze to the two preteens. Dick noticed the gentle smile that appeared when Wally looked at his daughter. "I doubt a speedster buddy would have made much of a difference with Jason," Wally noted. "He was already on edge."

"And Damian's not?" To say Damian was tightly strung was an understatement of immense proportions. It had taken Dick several weeks to learn the small gestures and innocent comments that could set Damian off. With the passage of time, lots of love and even more patience, Damian was becoming more relaxed…sometimes.

Wally snorted. "At least Damian has you. Jason had Bruce. More specifically, Jason had Bruce during his I'm-not-acknowledging-Dick's-existence phase."

The cut at Bruce raised his hackles a bit. It was his automatic response whenever anyone bad-mouthed Bruce. Dick always defended the man, even when the man didn't always deserve to be defended. This time, though, he couldn't really argue. Wally was right. That had definitely been one of the low points in his relationship with Bruce.

Yet, Bruce had done a lot for Jason. Hell, Bruce had immediately adopted Jason. That little act had only widened the rift in his relationship with Bruce. He had lived with Bruce for over ten years. Ten years of being a "ward," whatever the hell that was. Then Jason comes along and Bruce doesn't even hesitate to make everything legal. The betrayal he had felt at the time…it still hurt thinking back on it. It still hurt even now when he was officially a Wayne.

"Living with Bruce is not easy. I've known the man for years. I understand most of his quirks, but he still drives me crazy. Alfred tries to keep a sense of normalcy, but there's only so much he can do."

"Alfred deserves a medal," Wally commented.

"That's an understatement." Dick hated to imagine how much worse his life would have been if Alfred hadn't been there. Alfred was the peacemaker. What Alfred said was law. To disobey Alfred was never a good choice. Even Bruce knew that one. Alfred had his own unique ways of punishing those who didn't listen. "It was still different with Jason," Dick continued. "I had you, Roy, Donna and Garth to keep me sane. If you guys hadn't been there…" Dick shook his head. The Teen Titans had been a much needed outlet. Time to get away from Bruce and all of Bruce's demands. Time when he could hang out with kids his own age and not have to worry about secret identities. Time to share the ups and downs of being in the hero business.

"You may have lived with Mr. Dark and Gloomy, but all of us needed a break from our mentors. Even though you, Roy and Garth seemed to always be in a race for the who-has-the-worst-mentor competition. Not that you would ever admit that," Wally added.

And he wouldn't have admitted it. Even now, Dick found it difficult to discuss Bruce's shortcomings with others. Tim, Alfred and Babs, aka Oracle, fka Batgirl, were the exceptions. Over the years, when things became extremely intense, he had vented to Wally or the other Teen Titans, but those had been extremely rare occasions. Growing up with the Teen Titans, they had grown to know each other very well. They had all been able to instinctively tell when someone was having a hard time. They had always been there to support each other. They still were.

"I know Tim viewed the Titans the same way, particularly Bart, Cassie and Conner. Jason never really had that outlet. He never quite fit in with the Teen Titans, probably mostly my doing."

Wally sighed. "Stop blaming yourself. Jason chose his path."

While Wally's words were true, they didn't provide much comfort. How many times over the years had Dick wondered if there was something more he could have done – should have done – to help Jason? Looking back, he could see countless "if only" moments. He knew Bruce felt the same. Unfortunately, neither of them could go back in time, and even if they did, there was no guarantee it would have changed the outcome. Jason had had anger issues. He still did.

"So, what happened that got you thinking about Jason? He kill someone?"

"Who knows. Probably. Jason's just…" Dick found himself getting ready to defend Jason and his choices. There were times he envied Jason a bit. Jason wouldn't hesitate to kill the Joker given the chance. Dick knew if he were given the same chance, he wouldn't be able to kill the man, even knowing what he had done to Babs and so many others. "Jason lets you know when he's around. When he shows up, you never quite know if he's an ally or foe. He keeps life interesting."

"Given the option, I think I'd rather be bored," Wally commented. Dick silently agreed. "I admit I didn't know Jason that well, but from what I remember and what you and others have said, Damian seems to be a lot like him."

"He is," Dick admitted. He knew he and Tim were very much alike, even though recently Tim had started to display some disturbingly familiar Bruce qualities. Dick had always known Tim had the potential to turn Bruce-like. The death of Tim's father had started the change. The deaths of Conner Kent, aka Superboy, and Bart Allen had worsened it. Even when his two friends had reappeared, any hope of the old Tim reappearing had been buried by Bruce's death. Now, Bruce was back, too. For once, Bruce didn't seem to be completely oblivious. Bruce had recognized the changes in Tim and was actually trying to do something about it instead of ignoring them and hoping they magically disappeared. Dick was thankful. Had Bruce not been addressing it, Dick knew he would have found the time…somehow…someway.

When Bruce had agreed to allow Tim to become Robin, Dick had vowed to work with the kid to ensure another Jason situation didn't happen. Working with Tim had been easy since Tim had been so eager – almost too eager at times – to please. Damian was proving to be a completely different story. If Dick listed the similarities between himself and Tim and between Jason and Damian, it was disturbing. For every way in which Dick and Tim seemed to mimic each other, Jason and Damian seemed to do the same. Dick had been tempted to talk about it with Bruce, but in the end he had decided nothing good would come of that conversation.

"Has he tried to kill anyone recently?"

Sadly, it was a legitimate question to ask. The joys of having a brother who spent the first years of his life being raised by the League of Assassins. Damian could probably teach Jason a thing or two. "No. I think he finally gets it, even though there are way too many times I find myself holding my breath, wondering if this is the time he crosses the line."

At that moment, Damian had finally had enough. The Monopoly game board and pieces went flying. "Damian!" Irey shrieked.

"It's a stupid game."

"You're just mad because you were losing."

"We shouldn't be wasting our time on such juvenile activities. We should be-"

"Earth to Damian. We are juveniles!"

"Speak for yourself."

"Argh!" Irey vented her frustration by giving Damian a push. Not anticipating the action, Damian was caught off-guard and fell into the pool. Irey broke out laughing as Damian sputtered to the surface.

"You're going to pay for that, West," Damian warned.

"I told you not to call me – hey!" Irey protested as she was suddenly lifted into the air.

Wally grinned at his daughter. "Fair is fair." He tossed her into the pool causing Damian to laugh at the sudden turn of events. Irey glared at her dad for a second before joining in the laughter.

Dick smiled. Both Wally and Irey had just proven his point. Speedsters kept Robins – whether former or current – sane. Speedsters made them keep things in perspective. Maybe it was too late for Jason, but it wasn't too late for Damian. Wally plopped back into his chair as the two kids played in the pool. "Thank you."

Wally frowned, a bit confused. "For what?"

"For being a speedster buddy."

Wally smiled. "Anytime, Short Pants, anytime."


End file.
